From Antique, France, late 17th-early 18th century Venus Medici and Antinous from the Belvedere Pair of bronze figures Resting on a fully cast square base H. (Venus): 51.5 cm (20 ¼ in.) H. (Antinous) : 52,5 cm (20 ½ in.) Provenance: Former private American collection. Comparative bibliography : F. Haskell & N. Penny, Taste and the Antique - The Lure of Classical Sculpture 1500-1900, Revised & Amplified edition by A. Aymonino and E. Dodero, Harvey Miller publisher, Belgium, 2024, figs. 4 and 88 pp. 160-165 and 545-553,. A pair of bronze figures of Venus de' Medici and the Belvedere Antinous, after the Antique, French, late 17th / early 18th century The antique version of the Belvedere Antinous, sometimes also known as Hermes, kept in the Vatican Museums in Rome, was first recorded in 1543, when Pope Paul III paid 1,000 ducats to place the statue in the Belvedere gardens. It is now considered to be one of the finest surviving sculptures from antiquity, and, according to Hogarth, of 'the most beautiful proportions' (op. cit.). Similarly, the Venus Medici (Uffizi, Florence), first recorded in the 1640s-50s, was highly prized by artists, writers and patrons, all of whom celebrated its form and beauty. With a touch of humour, Haskel and Penny (ibid.,) go so far as to say that any writer who sang the praises of the Medici Venus had to begin by accepting his or her inability to 'describe the indescribable' (to use the expression used by Byron in his five-stanza description of the Medici Venus). It's hardly surprising, then, that since the mid-seventeenth century, two of the finest surviving examples of the idea of classical beauty have been assembled in pairs. *Information for buyers: Lot from outside the EU: The hammer price is exclusive of VAT. VAT at the reduced rate of 5.5% applies to the hammer price. This VAT is recoverable for French professionals. It is reimbursable for a buyer from outside the EU on presentation of proof of export from the EU or for a professional bidder providing proof of an intra-Community VAT number and a document proving delivery in the Member State. *Information to the buyers : Lot from outside the EU : The hammer price and premium will be VAT excluded. 5.5% VAT will be added to the hammer price and premium. Upon request, this VAT can be refunded to the purchaser on presentation of written proof of exportation outside EU, or to the EU purchaser who will submit his intracommunity VAT number and a proof of shipment to an EU country.